Canon 1D versus Pentax Q

The Canon EOS-1D and the Pentax Q are two digital cameras that were officially introduced, respectively,
in September 2001 and June 2011. The 1D is a DSLR, while the Pentax Q is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The cameras are based on an APS-H (1D) and a 1/2.3-inch (Pentax Q) sensor. The Canon has a resolution of 4.1 megapixel, whereas the Pentax provides 12 MP. Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their size, their sensors, their features, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison: Canon 1D vs Pentax Q

The physical size and weight of the Canon 1D and the Pentax Q are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter. If you prefer, you can also use the toggle button to switch to a comparison in percentage terms (in this case, the camera on the left – the 1D – represents the basis or 100 percent across all the size and weight measures).

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size,
the Pentax Q is considerably smaller (77 percent) than the Canon 1D. Moreover, the Pentax Q is substantially lighter (89 percent) than the 1D. It is worth mentioning in this context that the 1D is splash and dust resistant,
while the Pentax Q does not feature any corresponding weather-sealing.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses
that both of these cameras require. Hence, you might want to study the specifications of available lenses
in order to get the full picture of the size and weight of the two camera systems.

As can be seen in the images above, the 1D has a battery grip build in. This facilitates image-taking in portrait orientation
and gives it additional battery power.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you want to switch the focus of the display and review another camera pair, just select a new right or left
comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and
choose from the broad selection of possible camera comparisons there.

The price is, of course, an important factor in any camera decision. The retail prices at the time of the camera’s release place the model in the market relative to other models in the producer’s line-up and the competition. The Pentax Q was launched at a markedly lower price (by 90 percent) than the 1D, which puts it into a different market segment. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down.

Sensor comparison: Canon 1D vs Pentax Q

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tend to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Of the two cameras under consideration, the Canon 1D features an APS-H sensor and the Pentax Q
a 1/2.3-inch sensor. The sensor area in the Pentax Q is 95 percent smaller. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have a format factor of, respectively, 1.3 and 5.6. The sensor in the 1D has a native 3:2 aspect ratio, while the one in the Pentax Q offers a 4:3 aspect.

Despite having a smaller sensor, the Pentax Q offers a higher
resolution of 12 megapixel, compared with 4.1 MP of the 1D.
This megapixel advantage comes at the cost of a higher pixel density and a smaller size of the individual pixel
(with a pixel pitch of 1.53μm versus 11.56μm for the 1D). However, it should be noted that the Pentax Q is much more recent (by 9 years and 8 months) than the 1D, and its sensor
will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that make it possible to gather light more efficiently.

For many cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The Pentax Q indeed provides for movie recording, while the 1D does not. The highest resolution format that the Pentax Q can use is 1080/30p.

Feature comparison: Canon 1D vs Pentax Q

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the 1D has an optical viewfinder, which can be very useful when shooting in bright sunlight.
In contrast, the Pentax Q relies on live view and the rear LCD for framing. That said, the Pentax Q can be equipped with an optional viewfinder – the O-VF1. The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon 1D, the Pentax Q, and comparable cameras. If needed, the dpreview camera hub, for example, contains further detail on the cameras' specs.

One feature that is present on the 1D, but is missing on the Pentax Q is a top-level LCD.
While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

The 1D writes its imaging data to Compact Flash cards, while the Pentax Q uses SDXC cards. The 1D features dual card slots, which can be very useful in case a memory card fails. In contrast, the Pentax Q
only has one slot.

More compact: Is smaller (98x57mm vs 156x158mm) and will fit more readily into a bag.

Less heavy: Has a lower weight (by 1405g or 89 percent) and is thus easier to take along.

Sharper images: Has stabilization technology build-in to reduce the impact of hand-shake.

More legacy lens friendly: Can use many non-native lenses via adapters.

Easier fill-in: Has a small integrated flash to brighten shadows of backlit subjects.

More affordable: Was introduced into a lower priced category (90 percent cheaper at launch).

More modern: Reflects 9 years and 8 months of technical progress since the 1D launch.

If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the Pentax Q emerges as the winner of the match-up (11 : 9 points). However, the relative importance of the various individual camera aspects will vary according to personal preferences and needs, so that you might like to apply corresponding weights to the particular features before making a decision on a new camera.

1D 09:11 Pentax Q

In any case, while the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the 1D or the Pentax Q. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why expert reviews are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog). You can find the full text of the reviews by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities of other camera models, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool. If the camera you are interested in is not available, kindly get in touch, and I will try to update the database with the necessary infos.